Training for Permanent Secretaries and Directors on Workforce Planning, Budgeting and Payroll management system was organized by the Personnel Management Office (PMO) on the 9th October, 2019at the Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.
The workshop was attended by Permanent Secretaries and Directors from different ministries and departments. Speaking during the workshop, the Permanent Secretary of PMO, Mr. Lamin F Jawara said the objective of the training is to rationalize staff complement; Align staffing complement with mandate, Align staffing number with workload; Identify challenges of HR/Staff planning and also assess and forecast institutional human resource requirements.
PS Jawara said human resource planning ensures that an organization has the right number and caliber of people at the right place, at the right time, capable of effectively and efficiently completing those tasks that will help the organization achieve its overall goals and objectives.
He added that his office is confronted with issues and challenges such as absence of coherent postings and redeployment policy; Poor succession planning; inadequate policy and technical skills; interfering in staff appointments and placements and frequent staff movements.
Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS) Finance and Administration at PMO, Mr. Musa Camara reminded the participants, the role of PMO in the annual estimates process and workforce budgeting. He highlighted that the estimates process is only one of several means by which PMO exercises budgetary control of the workforce in the Civil Service.
According to DPS Camara, the process also entails undertaking regular reviews to ensure that existing posts are justified and that they continue to remain necessary and relevant. He added that this is the annual setting and agreeing of staffing levels in terms of number of posts and grades for MDAs further ensuring by regular monitoring that the agreed levels are not exceeded in workforce budget terms.
Among the participants was Edmond Mendy, the Director of Administration at the Department of Agriculture who said “I learnt a lot from the workshop, the resource persons have taken us through various topics which are very crucial for the management of government systems, talking about policy regarding staff management, details of establishment and payroll management. He asserted that the Permanent Secretary (PMO) enlightened them on strategic management policy which is the driver of all the institutions because if there is no strategic policy, no actions planned can be drawn and no activities can be implemented effectively.
He said he benefitted hugely from the training as presenters took them through details of the establishment and nominal roll. He further explained that the Assistant Accountant General, Mr. Mousa Bah discussed various issues on payroll management system including frequent absenteeism when management can create problems which if not solved, can prevent culprits from receiving their salary that is issues of ID card, Tin Number, payroll number and all related issues that are associated with payroll management system.
Mr.Mendy said the knowledge gained will help him implement the important issues and key points highlighted at workshop and promised he will call his team together with the Admin officers to share his knowledge accordingly in order to improve the services delivery of the department.
Mr. Bunja Darboe, the Director of Personnel (Gambia National Army) affirmed that the workshop is very fruitful as he came to understand the dynamics of budgeting, payroll system and various policy implementation strategies delivered by the resource persons.
He added that this workshop will enhance his knowledge and capacity to be able to manage personnel’s in the most appropriate way; ‘the system that I have seen here will be replicated at my administration; I have been taking notes and the knowledge will help to improve the management of officers’ Darboe said.
The Assistant Accountant General, Mr. Mousa Bah said the Gambia government’s payroll process is a centralized function at the Treasury Unit of the Accountant General and in his presentation; he talked about the issues related to payroll management systems, criteria and process for new staff salary inputting and also answered some of questions raised by participants.
